Safety device for mills



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. RIESEGK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MILLS.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' G. RIESEGK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MILLS.

v1\T0.441,'702. Patented Dec. 2, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3,

G. RIESEGK. SAEETY DEVICE EOE MILES.

No. 441,702.. Patented Dec. 2,1890.

To all whom. t may concern.-

UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

GEORGE RIESEOK, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 441,702, dated December 2, 1890.

Application filed September 20, 1889. Serial No. 324,567. (No model.) I

Be itknown that I, GEORGE RIESECK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Safety Device for Mills; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX'act description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to an improved safety device for mills; and it consists in a large rotary or other valve arranged in connectionwith a grinding device in such a manner that but a small-quantity of the malt enters the said valve, and is separated or protected from explosions and deposited or discharged through the opening in the bottom of the valve-charnber before the valve receives any more malt from the mill, thereby removing the malt in small quantities from the mill, and thus avoiding disastrous explosions common in flour and malt mills, together with a device'for conducting the iiames out of the building should any small explosion take place in connection with the rolls or within the valve, and also the several peculiar details of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully set forth and claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section of a malt-grinding mill having my improved safety device attached thereto. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Figs. 3 and i are transverse sections of the rotary valve and its chamber, showing the relative positions of the parts caused by the rotation of the valve. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of a rotary valve and its chamber having but one port formed therein, the said port being in a 'position to receive a quantity of malt or other substance from the mill. Fig. 6 is a transverse section of the same, showing another position of the port. Fig. 7 is a transverse section of a modiiication of my improved safety device, in which horizontal rotating disks provided with ports are used in place of the cylindrical rotating valve before mentioned. Fig. S is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 9 are face views of the disk valves, showing the relative position of the ports in the upper and lower valves. Fig. 10 is a modified form of the above-described disks, in which a single port is used. Fig. 11 is a transverse section of another modification of my improvement, in which horizontally-moving slide-valves are used to open and close the ports of the chamber arranged in connection with the grinding apparatus. Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 13 is a transverse section of the above-described valve-chamber, in which two eccentrics are used, which alter the movement of the valves.

I construct a safety device in connection with an ordinary malt or other grinding mill, consisting of a frame 1, of suitable size and form of construction, having mounted in suitable bearings 2 two rolls 3, properly geared together, and having a cover 4. placed on the top of the same, into which one end of a suit-- able grain conveyer or spout 5 terminates. Beneath these two rolls -3 is a large hollow valve 6, which operates in a neatly-fitting valve-chamber 7. This valve 6 is provided with three oblong ports S, extending in the direction of its length and arranged at regular intervals about its periphery, and the said.

valve 6 is closed at both ends. At the top of the valve-chamber 7 is an oblong opening 9, equal to or about the area of those formed in the Valve 6, and provided with upwardly-extending inclined walls 10, which form a funnel.- shaped hopper to collect the malt or ground substance from the rolls 3 and to retain the same until received intov the valve 6 through one of its ports 8. At the base of the valve-chamber 7 is an outlet-port 13 to discharge the contents of the valve, which may be connected to a suitable carrying device to carry the substance to a place of storage or points requiringits use. is mounted on journals in suitable bearings 14, formed in the-frame 1. Secured to one of the journals 15 of the valve 6 is a toothed wheel 16, which meshes with a small pinion 17, mounted on a stud 18, projecting from the side of the frame 1. Mounted on the same stud 1S and integral with or connected to the This hollow valve 6 V pinion 17 is a toothed wheel 19, which in its l of this arrangement of gearing the valve G is given a rotary movement.

At one side of the machine is an opening 22 through the end wall of the hopper 12 for receiving the malt from the rolls 3. This opening 22 is closed by a piece of paper or other brittle substance mounted in a frame 23 and secured in a position to cover the said opening 22. Beneath this opening 22 is another opening 24, covered in a like manner and communicating with the interior of the valve G by means of several openings formed in one end of the same. These two openings 22 24 are covered with a box 25, from which is couducted a pipe 27, which leads to the outside of the building in which the grin din g-m achine is operated or to some point of safety. This box 25 is provided with a removable lid or cover 26 to enable the operator to adjust the frames 23 over the openings 22 24.

In operation the malt or other substance to be ground is conveyed to the top of the rolls 3 and the same put in motion. The small pinion 2O operates the toothed wheel 19, and it being attached to the pinion 17 rotates the the latter, which in Vits turn revolves the toothed wheel 16, which gives the valve 6 a slow continuous rotary movement. The malt or other substance passing between the rolls 3 is pulverized, which produces a fine highly combustible and explosive dust and renders explosions frequent and dangerous to life and property. By the explosion of this tine dust at the rolls 3 the same will reach the conveyer and follow on to the elevator if not checked by some device such as described. Should an explosion take place in a mill or grinding device provided with my improvement no damage would be done. Ifthe explosion takes place in the chamber 12 beneath the rolls 3 and the port 9, closed by the valve (i, it is permitted a vent through the opening` 22 by bursting the paper diaphragm and has but little explosive matter to consume, as the valve G receives and discharges alternately from the chamber 12 beneath the rolls Should an explosion occur within the valve 6 while the port 9 is open, as shown at Fig. 1 on the d1awings,while the port 13 of the chamber 16 is closed, the smoke, gases, the., will be conducted through either or both vents 22 24, and no damage can done. It will be seen by reference to Figs. 1, 3, and 4, showing difterent positions of the valve (5, that when one port S is open the others are closed. By this arrangement an explosion can do no damage, as the exploding substance is cut ofi from the opening 13.

In Figs. 5 and (i I have shown a modified form of the valve (i, before described, which is provided with but one large opening or port 30, which, if revolved faster than the other, will remove the malt in the Same small with the rolls 3 or any other grinding apparatus, and provided at its top and bottom with suitable radial ports 32, and fitted with rotatable disk valves 33, also provided with ports 34, arranged at right angles to each other, (see Fig. 9,) or constructed in a manner that when thetop ports 32 are closed the bottom ports are open, or vice versa. These two disk valves 33 are connected together bya short shaft 35, mounted vertically in bearings 36, and provided with abevel-wheel 37,which meshes with a bevel-pinion 38, secured to a short horizontal shaft 39, projecting out through the side wall of the valve-chamber 31, where the same is geared to the rolls 3 in the same manner as before described. Ventopenings 22 are also provided with this modiication, as well as the escape-pipe 27. The operation of this device is almost similar to that before described, except that the disk` valves 33 revolve horizontally and are operated by the bevel-wheel 37 and pinion38, the ports 34 in these valves being so arranged in relation to each other that those in the top must be closed before those in the bottom valve are open, and vice versa. By the use of disk valves 33-such as shown at Fig. 10 on the drawings-the result is analogous, as is obvious.

At Figs. 11 and 12 on the drawings I have shown another modification, in which I use horizontally-moving slide-valves 41, operated by an eccentric 42 or other device. These valves 41 are arranged beneath the ports 43 of a valve-chamber 42, the one above the other, but not directly, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 1l on the drawings,\vliich shows the relative position of the one to the other. It will be noticed that the valves 41 are lnuch wider than the ports 43, and, owing to the position in which they are set, (the one forward of the other,) the one port 43 will be open while the other .is closed, and at certain points of their movement they are both closed, but never both open at the same time. These valves both movelin the saine direction, at the same time, and with the same speed.

At Fig. 13 I have shown a sectional elevation of a modified form of the last-described valve-chamber 42, in which the two valves 43 move in opposite directions by means of two eccentrics 5l, geared together by toothed wheels 52 or other suitable device, and cach eccentric 51 separately connected to its valve IOO IIO

4S by suitable rods 50. r1`he operation of these valves 48 is analogous with those before described with respect to the opening of the one while the other remains closed, the Valves 4S being of a sufficient width to move some distance before opening either of the ports. Vhen in Operation the valves 48 are always moving in opposite directions. One of these valves is always closed before the other opens.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a safety device for grinding-mills,the

combination, with the grinding mechanism and its casing formed with a cylindrical chamber and a vent or escape pipe provided with openings, of a hollow cylindrical valve located in the said chamber and provided with ports for receiving and discharging the ground material and provided with openings registering with one of the openings in the escape-pipe, and means for rotating said valve, whereby the gases from an explosion within the said chamber or valve may escape, substantially as described.

2. In a safety device for grinding-mills,the combination, with the grinding mechanism and its casing formed with a valve-chamber and a vent or escape pipe provided with openings, of a valve, substantially as described, located within said valve-chamber and provided with ports for receiving and discharging the ground material, vents or openings being formed in the wall between the valve-chamber and the escape or vent pipe, and a frangible covering or seal over said vent or opening between the valve-chamber and escapepipe, whereby the gases from an explosion within said chamber are adapted to break the I frangible covering and escape into the said escape or ventpipe, substantiallyas described.

Y 3. In a safety device for grinding-mills, the combination, with the grinding mechanism and its casing having a valve-chamber situated below said grinding mechanism and having the inlet and outlet openings in its opposite sides, of the valve, substantially as described, arranged within said valve-chamber to close the outlet previous to opening the inlet of said chamber, and vice versa, whereby communication between the valve-chamber and the grinding mechanism can only be established when the outlet to the valve-cha'mber-is closed,

a vent or escape pipe communicating with the valve-chamber at a point between the inlet and outlet thereof, and means for operating said valve, as set forth.

4. In a safety device for grinding-mills, the combination,withthegrindingmechanismand the casingthereof,of a valve-chamberarranged below said grinding mechanism and havin gthe inlet and outlet openings i3; its opposite sides, the valve, substantially as described, arranged within said valve-chamber and operating to close the inlet-opening previous to the exf posure of the outlet-opening in said chamber,

and vice versa, whereby communication between the valve-chamber and the grinding mechanism can only be established when the outlet-opening of the valve-chamber is closed, means for operating said valve, and a ventpipe communicating with the valve-chamber to permit the escape of gases from an explosion within said chamber, substantially as described.

5. In a safety device for grinding-mills, the combination, with the grinding mechanism and its casing having a valve-chamber provided with inlet and outlet openings in its opposite sides, of the hopper intermediate of the valve-chamber and the chamber in which the grinding mechanism is located, the valve, substantially as described, within said valvechamber and operating to close the inletopening to said chamber previously to the exposure of the outlet-opening therein, and vice versa, to establish communication between said valve-chamber and the hopper only when the outlet-opening of said valve-chamber is closed, the vent or escape pipe communicating with the hopper and with the valve-chamber, and means for operating the valve, as set forth. v

6. In a safety device for grinding-mills, the combination, with the grinding mechanism having its casing formed with the valve-chamber and with the hopper intermediate of said valve-chamber and the chamber in which the grinding mechanism is located, of a valve, substantially as described, located within said valve-chamber and arranged to close the inlet-opening thereto previous to the opening of the outlet-opening to said chamber, and vice versa, the vent or escape pipe communicating with both the valve-chamber and the hopper, and the frangible coverings over the openings between said vent or escape pipe and the valve-chamber and the hopper, for the purpose described, substantially as set forth.

7. :In a grinding-mill, the combination, with the grinding mechanism, of the cylindrical valve-chamber situated below the grinding mechanism and havingthe diametric inletand outlet ports, the hollow valve located in said chamber and provided with ports for receiving and discharging the ground material, the area of the ports in the rotatory valvebeing equal to the area of theinlet and outlet openings in the valvechamber, a vent or escape communicating with the valve-chamber, and means for rotating said valve, substantially as described.

8. In a safety device for mills, the combination of the rolls for grinding the malt,'a hollow rotary valve arranged beneath the said rolls, provided with one or more openings or ports, the valve chamber inclosing the same, having an inletport communicating with the rolls and an outlet or discharge port, thevent-openings arranged in connection with the valve and receptacle for receiving the product of the said rolls, the escape-pipeleading from the said openings, and suitable gearing connected to the valve and to the rolls, whereby the latter is given a rotary movement on its axis, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I hereunto affix my signature this 17th day of September, A. D. 1889.

GEORGE RIESECK.

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